Tag: antisemitism

3 years

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at around 12:30 a.m. I didn’t feel right; my body ached, my heart hurt. As I slowly got up, I turned off the lights, gave Charlie, my chocolate lab puppy, a kiss, and went upstairs to bed. I felt terrible and thought it must have been the ice cream I had for dessert since sugar doesn’t really agree with me any longer. In the morning, at 6:33 a.m., I awoke with tears in my eyes—literal tears. This is incredibly rare, as the last time this happened was when it felt like my dad came to visit me while I was sleeping. None of this made sense until I remembered what day it was: October 7th. Three years.

Three years ago, my life was very different. I was running a major organization, my life was incredibly busy, I had a tremendous amount of stress and pressure in my life, I had physical health challenges, I was worried about the rise of Jew hatred and had become a regular on the local TV news talking about the growth of hatred, specifically Jew hatred, and how we were being targeted in Central Florida and around the country. Hate groups had moved to Central Florida since it was an inexpensive place to find housing for them, and they could easily drive to major cities in the state in a short period of time. The world was challenging, but the fight was on, and the media was supporting the Jewish community and what we were facing.

On the morning of October 7th, I sat down with a cup of coffee in my living room, turned on the TV and could not believe what I was seeing. The massacre. The cars on the street with doors open, dead bodies on the street and inside the cars. The stories being told by the newscasters. One image remains buried in my memory. The car passenger door is open. The father is in the drivers seat, dead with his head on the steering wheel. His young daughter’s body resting on his shoulder, also dead. I felt the brutality. I heard about the Nova festival but couldn’t imagine what was really happening there.

I started sending WhatsApp messages to my friends in Israel to check on them. They were all in safe rooms or shelters. They were all in WhatsApp groups getting updates. They were all scared and not sure what was happening. I was terrified for my friends, especially those living anywhere in the south of Israel. It was a constant check-in during the day while I sat in front of the television, shocked, scared, angry, and terrified by what I was watching.

My friend, the Consul General of Israel to Florida, called to check on me. He told me to turn off the TV, that it wasn’t healthy to keep watching. I couldn’t. Senator Rick Scott called to check on me. It’s a call I will never forget. He didn’t have an aide call; he didn’t send a message. He picked up his own personal cell phone and called to check on me.

I spent the day working with others in the community to put together a vigil for Sunday. We invited politicians and the community. The room was packed. The politicians showed up, and the community bonded. I thought it was the start of healing, but I was sorely mistaken.

Since then, I have worked with the Israeli consulate to host a showing of the Hamas 47-minute video. I saw things I will never forget: images that cannot be explained. I have been back to Israel seven times and will be back twice more this year, including a trip in just ten days from now. I have been to Kfar Aza three times. The things I saw at Kfar Aza in May 2024 were horrific. The brutality was still visible. It was agonizing. As a friend of mine said, it was like being at Auschwitz just after liberation.

I have been the Nova Festival site three times, heard the amazing and heroic Rami Davidian, who saved 750 people from the Nova Festival, speak three times, and been there when it was just some family markers, when it had been upgraded by the families, and most recently when it has been taken over by Jewish National Fund (JNF) and now chronicals what happened. It’s never easy to be there. The first two times I was there, we finished our visit by singing. It felt right to bring music back to the site of the music festival filled with joy that turned into terror and mass murder. It felt like we were honoring those murdered, raped, and taken hostage.

I made sandwiches at Shlomi’s food truck outside Kibbutz Be’eri and brought them to soldiers on the base going into Gaza. I’ve spent time at Hostage Square, listened to the stories of hostage families and hostages, heard the stories from survivors of the Nova Festival, and talked with friends of mine who fought the terrorists on October 7th and for the next 3 years. People who have spent over 500 days in miluim (reserve duty). The stories are horrifying. Yet the world remains silent and chooses to push the genocide libel.

Today was filled with deep emotions. I found myself thinking about all that has happened since October 7th. The horror of the 7th. The joy of the hostages coming home. The devastation when we learned a hostage was dead. I saw this video the other day and it haunts me. When we thought the Bibas family was alive, I put their pictures on chairs at my Passover Seder table. As the father of two boys, about the same age difference as Arial and Kfir, it was personal for me. Their murder devastated me. Then I saw this video of Ariel meeting Kfir for the first time. It ripped my heart. As you watch these two beautiful boys, beautiful brothers, remember that Hamas literally choked the life out of them. That’s who we are talking about. Terrorists who not only kidnapped children but strangled them with theri bare hands.

I thought of my friend’s cousin Hila, who was taken hostage at age 12 along with her mother. She was released the day before her 13th birthday, while her mother remained as a Hamas hostage for two more days. Since she and her mother were hostages, we knew there would be no presents, and that was not acceptable. Her cousin and I raised some money, created Amazon lists for people to buy the things she wanted, and used the money raised to buy the things that weren’t available on Amazon. Through a friend and former student who is high up at Rare Beauty, we got a donation from them of the items that Hila wanted. We sent multiple suitcases of gifts to her. Her mother recorded a video of her opening the suitcases and the presents and sent it to us. When I saw the joy on her face, it gave me hope for all the hostages. It’s a miracle that so many of them came home alive.

I thought of all the people who deny October 7th happened. Who deny the murders, the kidnapping, the conditions the hostages were held in, the rapes and sexual assault. The brutality of the murders. How important it was that General Eisenhower demanded his soldiers take pictures of the concentration camps they were liberating because in the future people would try to deny it. Here, Hamas took the videos and posted them, yet people still deny them. I thought today about how we need to share the videos once again. That we can’t be afraid of the trauma of watching them. The world must see what really happened. Most will not ever get to Israel to see it first hand. They are watching Fauda and seeing episodes 7 and 8. They are reporting how they never understood October 7th until they saw those episodes. Our words haven’t worked. The images and videos can. I remember seeing this video of the IDF first discovering what happened at Nova. The despair in the IDF soldier’s voice as he discovers everybody is dead haunts me.

It’s hard to believe it has only been 3 years ago. It’s also hard to believe it’s already been 3 years. The changes I have seen in Israel on each visit since October 7th are astounding. As I prepare to go back in 10 days, I’m not sure what to expect. The country is dealing with the trauma of October 7th. The election will happen while I’m there. As a number of former Israeli diplomats have said to me, this election is for the soul of Israel. Israelis are flying in to vote. It will be yet another experience that helps me understand the realities of Israel.

People want Israel to be black and white. It’s not. Like my emotions related to October 7th, Israel is complicated and nuanced. October 7th isn’t. Hamas brutally murdered, raped, kidnapped, and mutilated people. They burned people alive. Those they took hostage were treated inhumanely. Sexually assaulted. Beaten. Starved.

Three years ago my life was filled with stress and health issues. Three years later, I no longer have that stress. The health issues all resolved. My career takes me to Israel 3 or so times each year for between 1 and 3 weeks each trip. I have come to understand Israel much deeper. I spend time in the West Bank on these trips, meeting with Palestinians who are now colleagues and friends. I understand them much deeper as well.

October 7, 2023 ripped away part of my soul that will never return. The scarring and the fracture is there forever. It has given me new insights in the Jew hatred that is around us. It will always be around us. When things in the world aren’t going well, the world always looks for somebody to blame. Throughout history, it has been the Jews. It will continue to be the Jews. That’s our reality. The difference this time is that we have Israel. Unlike in the past when we have been defenseless, we are no longer those people. For many of the Jew haters this makes it worse. They’d like to hate us, have us go away, blame us for whatever the problems they are facing, and if many of us die, they don’t care. Israel has changed the reality. We aren’t going away. We aren’t going to be silent.

We also can’t go to the extremes. I’ve seen friends go to the far left, blaming Israel and the Jews for everything. I’ve seen friends go to the far right, believing that there are no good Palestinians, no good Muslims. I call them both out. That simply isn’t true and only continues the cycle of hate. Yes there are terrorists who are Muslim. As I said to a friend of mine on this issue, if you have 2 billion muslims and 1 percent are terrorists, that’s still 20 million terrorists. If it’s 0.1 percent, that’s still 2 million terrorists. That means there are 99% or 99.9% that are not. We can not generalize. Yes the Palestinian Authority is corrupt. Abbas has not held elections in over 20 years. If we look at Israel and the United States, are our governments so much better? We have plenty of corrupt politicians in Israel and the US. Smotrich and Ben Gvir match up to any of the Arab or other world corrupt leaders.

What I have learned from October 7th is that it is all about people. People to people connections. Getting beyond the stereotypes. Getting beyond the lies every community is told about ‘the other’. Not everybody thinks the way the west thinks. We need to understand and accept that. Not everybody has the same values, morals, and ethics. We need to understand that and then find those who share ours and work together with them to make a better world.

Nobody is going to fix the world for us. Nobody is going to solve the worlds problems by blaming and working to eliminate the group they think are responsible for the world’s problems. It is up to each of us to do our part, however small it is, to repair the world. To build relationships that change the daily lives of those we can impact. I won’t fix America’s problems by myself. I won’t fix Israel’s problems by myself. I won’t solve the Palestinian’s problems by myself. But I can make some American’s lives better. I can make some Israeli’s lives better. I can make some Palestinian’s lives better. Let’s each look at what we can individually do. Get others to join us and our groups do more together than each of us separately. Despair, anger, and hate is not the answer. Love is. Community is.

It is now October 8, 2026. The start of year 4 since the horrifying events of October 7th. My committment is to spend the next year doing what I can to change and improve the lives of those that I actually can. I hope you will join me. Together we can change and save the world. Or we can allow it to devolve and implode. The choice is ours. I hope we all hear the classic words from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. “You have chosen wisely.” Each of our actions will determine what happens.

Fight for the soul of Israel

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I have written about my client, Rozana, and the work they are doing with peacebuilding through health diplomacy. When I was doing site visits with them in late May/early June 2026, I wrote extensively about what I saw and experienced with the settler terrorism. I use the term terrorism because that’s what it is, and if we can’t call out the Jewish terrorists, how can we expect anybody else to call out their terrorists? These are people who believe in a Greater Israel that includes Judea and Samaria, along with Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. They are being empowered by MK Bezalel Smotrich, who has ensured they don’t get arrested and face no consequences, all with the implicit support of Bibi.

While I was there, I had the opportunity to have dinner with three former Israeli ambassadors who each served five postings. It was fascinating listening to them talk about the upcoming election and how it was truly a fight for the soul of Israel. They shared their concerns that if Bibi wins, there will be an incredible exodus of smart Israelis, creating a brain drain, and they discussed the influence of Smotrich and Ben Gvir and their radical beliefs and policies. Later on this trip, I spent time with two friends of mine. They have 3 young, brilliant Israeli children. One of them is a Sabra, born and raised in Israel and politically on the right. She and I spent a long time discussing the impact of the upcoming elections and her concern that if things don’t change, she will need to find another place for her family to live, but doesn’t know where to go. As we watched her children play on the beach, talking away in Hebrew, a tear came to her eye as she said, “They are Israeli though. How do I take them away from here?” The struggle for so many Israelis is real and unless you go visit and spend time really speaking with them, there is no way those of us living in the diaspora can understand. We focus on the things we see and they live an entirely different existance.

I love Israel and go as often as possible. Later this year, I’ll be taking my 27th and 28th trips there. I have friends who serve as MKs in the Knesset and even more friends who are running in the upcoming election because they know how critical this election really is for the future of the country. I have friends actively serving in the IDF or in milium (the reserves) and some of them are running for office while others are planning to move to the US to escape the new, different hardships of Israel. The internal issues, which don’t get the same media attention, are substantial. My friend, Ambassador Rodica Radian-Gordon, recently spoke at our staff meeting to share her insights. They were powerful and depressing and important to hear. Deep thoughts about the future and what it may look like pending the outcome of the election.

I keep going back to the Israeli Declaration of Independence, where it states:

In the midst of wanton aggression we call upon the Arab inhabitants of the state of Israel to return to the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the state, with full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its bodies and institutions, provisional or permanent.

We offer peace and amity to all neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to co-operate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The state of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and reconstitution of the Middle East.

My friend and the head of Rozana’s Palestinian office, Mohammad Asideh, recently had a piece printed in The Jewish News in the UK. It’s a powerful piece: thoughtful and questioning. I am posting it below to share with you. It is okay to love Israel and also be critical of some of the government policies. It is important to understand what is really happening and ask if that is something we are comfortable with. The Israeli people are asking that question, and those of us who love Israel should be asking it as well. I hope that you read it and think deeply about what it means. If you love Israel like I do, we can really ask ourselves, what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world, and lose their soul in the process? The Jewish people have been kept together because we never lost our souls. To lose it now, when we finally have Eretz Yisrael again, would be tragic.

Here is Mohammad’s article, both as a link and below for easiness of reading. I hope it inspires thought and lots of deep conversation.

“I believe people in a position to act need to have a serious conversation about what might be coming, for the sake of Palestinians, Israelis and Jews around the world alike.”

Mohammad Asideh

Ten days ago, I was walking into a meeting to discuss the International Fund led by the UK, Canada and Australia. Just before it started, a friend texted me: “what had happened in your town, Tel?” I didn’t see his next message until the meeting ended. Four young men were killed by settlers in my town on what was supposed to be another quiet Friday morning. He listed their names. I knew all four. We went to the same school and I played football with two of them.

A settler and a soldier were killed too.

There have been more dramatic events than this one. But something about it shifted the public feeling among Palestinians in a way I haven’t felt before. It’s common now to hear: what came before Tel is not the same as what came after.

We should all be ready for a new reality. On your next visit to the West Bank, don’t be surprised if you see Israeli military jeeps patrolling Palestinian cities and no stones thrown back. There will be resistance, but a different kind. I have no idea what would it be.

For a month now, everyone has been struggling to get fuel. These days I take taxis to my meetings for Rozana, the organization I work for, if I go outside Ramallah, because I don’t know if I’ll get another chance to fill my car. My brother waited from morning until evening yesterday just to refill his car. If he hadn’t, he couldn’t have gone to work. No work, no food on the table.

Water, electricity, medication, all of it that reaches the West Bank has been reduced by the Israeli government. Most people I know now think twice before they take a shower.

One of the projects that Rozana runs is a Mobile Clinic in remote communities around Hebron. Getting our teams safely to and from clinics has become harder and riskier. Moving medical supplies, or something as basic as water, through checkpoints that open and close without warning, has become harder.

I’m not the complaining type. I say that because I think these injustices are rarely held accountable or covered in the media. Gaza remains our biggest pain and challenge and now we fear for the safety of the people we love even when we are with them at home inside Palestinian cities.

Radicals thrive on the actions of other radicals. There is no such thing as only one radical side. And yet, despite everything I’ve just described, there has been no violent uprising here. I ask myself why? I think it’s because we’ve entered a new phase of this conflict, annexation.

I know many people are waiting for the election in Israel and Palestine at the end of this year. I’m almost 40. I grew up hearing that things would be better after the next one. This is rarely the case.

I believe people in a position to act need to have a serious conversation about what might be coming, for the sake of Palestinians, Israelis and Jews around the world alike.

Antisemitism has never needed material or justification. It has always been there. However, radical settlers in the West Bank will and are providing so much material for antisemitic voices around the world.

On my last trip to Paris, I came out of a meeting with a Jewish colleague and watched them take off their kippah before we stepped onto the street. They didn’t feel safe. Just a few days ago, a BBC interview went viral here: a settler, a lawyer, called for everyone in my town to be killed, and everyone in other Palestinian towns too, after a settler was killed in the recent settler attack on my town.

I keep thinking of a line from the New Testament: “what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world, and lose their soul in the process?” It’s part of why I have always rejected violence. I felt, watching suicide bombings once justified in this place, that we were losing our soul as a people to win the war.

Israel could take every part of this land. But nothing about it would stay holy in the process. So who wins? Israel, if it loses its soul building a state on another people’s suffering? Or Palestinians, who may lose everything and still refuse to surrender? In the end, I think both sides lose.

Let’s use what time is left to save what can still be saved.

Mohammad Asideh is the CEO of Rozana for Health Diplomacy and is based in Ramallah.

This article is adapted from a message sent by the author to members of The London Initiative (TLI), following the recent deadly violence in Tel in the West Bank. TLI is a network of likeminded members of world Jewry, citizens of Israel and international allies partnering to shape a better shared future grounded in liberal democracy, societal fairness and secure peace. The author is the first Palestinian member of the network who is not a citizen of Israel.

Hiding your Jewish identity isn’t the answer

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Living in Florida, air conditioning is essential. Keeping your AC units running and functioning well is critical. We have our condensers serviced regularly but haven’t had our units, ducts, and vents cleaned in a few years. When we got an opportunity to have it done at a good price and they would clean our dryer vents for free, I jumped on the deal.

The appointment was for yesterday, so of course, they kept pushing it and pushing it, and eventually had to cancel the appointment and reschedule for this morning. When the technician arrived, I greeted him at the door and was shocked as he reached up to touch my mezuzah and kiss it. I asked if he was Jewish, and after he said, “of course,” I told him I thought so because nobody else would kiss the mezuzah. He smiled, and I pointed out all the mezuzahs on my doors.

Large front door mezzuzah
Ethiopian designed mezzuzah
Another Ethiopian designed mezuzzah
My 3rd Ethiopian designed mezzuzah

It turns out he was born and raised in Israel and has struggled to find Jewish people and community since moving to Central Florida. He commented on how he rarely sees mezuzahs on doors here. We talked about Israel – he is from Rehovot, and I have had the pleasure of spending time in Rehovot. I have friends who live there. It’s where the Weizmann Institute is and where I have gone to pick fruits and vegetables for the last two years. We talked about places like Rishon Lezion, which is right next to Rehovot. I could tell how much it meant to him to have somebody to talk to about Israel with.

As he began work on my units, ducts, and vents, I went to my office to work. During a break, we continued our conversation. He told me how excited he was to see that I had siddurim (prayer books) on my bookshelves and that he saw my tallit bag, my tefillin, kiddush cups, Shabbat candlesticks, Hanukkah menorahs, and my Israeli art on the wall of my office. Being at my house and talking with me clearly filled a Jewish need he may not have even realized he needed.

One of my favorite pictures on my wall
I took this picture of the Kotel and Temple mount and love it

We talked about convincing my younger son to go on Birthright and visit Israel. The look he gave my son was precious, and as they talked, I hoped he inspired my son to finally sign up. This random person who came to service my air conditioning is a ‘member of the tribe,’ so our connection went deep even though we didn’t know each other until he knocked on my door and kissed my mezuzah.

I offered to help connect him with the local Jewish community. It is something he has struggled to find. He talked about wanting to engage in Jewish learning and be part of the community. I gave him my contact info (he had it in the company records, but this was for him personally). I hope he will reach out, and I can help him find his place.

Earlier today, I was talking with a friend of mine who lives in New Jersey. He was talking about how bad it has gotten in New York and New Jersey and how he removed his mezuzah from his door after October 7th due to the rise of antisemitism. How he doesn’t have any signs of being Jewish on his house or anywhere else because he fears for his safety. I told him how I’m just the opposite. I have a huge mezuzah on my front door and others on my three other external doors. I have my clearly Jewish and Israeli tattoos. I even have the Florida Stands With Israel license plate on my car. What an incredible difference simply because of where we live in the United States.

Florida Stands With Israel License Plate
The art of Moshe Shapira plus We will dance again tattoo
Nova Tattoo

I began thinking about what would have happened had I taken down my mezuzah or never put one up. This Israeli would never have known it was a Jewish house. We never would have talked about Israel and Judaism. He wouldn’t have felt the power of being Jewish in my house by seeing all the Jewish items I proudly display. He would have missed out on the joy that it provided him. I would have missed out on knowing him and connecting.

This is why we need to be proud to be Jewish. We need to show our pride publicly. We can’t be afraid because when we are afraid and hide our Jewishness, the Jew haters win. They want to get rid of us; they want to make us invisible. They want us to be quiet and let them terrorize us. I refuse. I urge you to refuse. Be like the actor Patricia Heaton, who is not Jewish. She was so upset at the Jew hatred and that Jews were removing their mezuzahs from their doors that she, a Christian, put one up on her door and encouraged allies to do the same. Thousands of non-Jews who are allies went ahead and put a mezuzah on their door to stand with us. If they can do it, so can we. For thousands of years, Jew haters have tried to erase us: Babylonia, Persia, the Greeks, the Romans, the Crusaders, the Turks, the Poles, the Germans. We wouldn’t let them, so we survived. Now is not the time for us to do it to ourselves.

I’m proud to be Jewish and don’t hide it. Today reminded me why this is so important. I look forward to hearing from my new Jewish, Israeli friend and helping him find his way in a challenging Central Florida Jewish community. I won’t hide my Jewish identity or my Jewish pride. I encourage you not to hide yours either. Am Yisrael Chai!

The fight against Jew hatred

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

It has become so common to see Israel and the Jews blamed for everything. Have a Nazi tattoo and want to run for the US Senate? Get accused of abusing your ex-girlfriends? Cheat on your wife? Masturbate in public toilets? Have racist writings exposed? Be like Graham Platner and blame the Jews. Want to be elected Governor of Florida but you are not endorsed by President Trump or by Governor Desantis? Be like James Fishback and blame the Jews. Want to be elected to Congress in Texas but are unqualified and need some big time PR? Be like Maureen Galindo and threaten to put the Zionists in internment camps. Want to get elected to Congress in New Jersey? Make sure you are like Adam Hamawy, who called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide.” and who has strong ties to the “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel Rahman, who was linked to the perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and who is in prison for life for planning terrorist attacks. For sure one way to get elected in any state is to claim Israel committed Genocide, wrongly interpreting the International Court of Justice’s decision (listen to former President of the ICJ, Joan Donoghue explain what the decision actually was below.)

What we rarely see, from Demorcrats or Republicans, is those who stand up against Jew hatred and who are willing to take a power public stance condemning it. Plenty will dance around the corners. Few will stand strongly.

I have had relationships with elected officials of both parties most of my career. I built relationships with many of them around the State of Florida when I was running UF Hillel, did the same as the President and CEO of the Jewish Federation in Seattle, and continued to do so when I moved to Orlando. Many of them don’t like each other but each has built relationships with me. As a citizen and a leader, I believe it is my right and my responsiblity to build there relationships. I work with Democrats and Republicans because Jewish life, safety, fighting antisemitism and Jew hatred, and supporting the right for the State of Israel to exist should never be partisan issues. As such, when Senator Rick Scott’s Central Florida Director called me late last week to invited me to a press conference Senator Scott had called at the Florida Holocaust Museum to address Kanye West performing in Tampa and antisemitism for Monday morning, I wasn’t surprised, was honored, and cleared my calendar to attend.

I have known Senator Scott since he was in his first term as Governor of Florida due to my work with UF Hillel. We had many politicians come speak to our students so they could learn from elected officials and understand that as citizens and leaders, they had access to them and had a responsibility to use that access to share their concerns. I believe it is important that we teach our children and those around us this important lesson. Our elected official serve us, the people. We don’t serve them. So use your citizen’s voice with them.

I’ve attended many of these press conferences held by many different politicians over the years. It doesn’t matter who they are or which party they are affiliated with, they tend to be fairly similiar. They stand in front of a podium, addressing the media, speaking certain talking points that are nice to hear and are supported, but usually in a calm and dignified manner. They are doing what they are supposed to do in representing their population and speaking out, but rarely with true passion and fire. It almost always comes from somewhere inside, is something they truly believe, and is always appreciated. It rarely leaves a lasting effect. It is what I expected would happen at Senator Scott’s press conference.

I was wrong. When Senator Scott stepped to the podium he had fire in his eyes. His words were passionate and filled with fury. He began by making sure that everybody knew that this was not ‘his’ press conference but rather was a bipartisan group who were here because they had enough of antisemitism and hate. They were not going to tolerate Jew hatred in Florida and he wasn’t going to tolerate it in the United States. He made sure to introduce US Senator Ashley Moody, former Governor Charlie Crist, Leo Terrell, the Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Department of Justice who oversees the country’s response to antisemitism and all civil rights, Pastor Scott Thomas who represented Christians United for Israel (CUFI), local elected officials, and the local Jewish leaders who were in attendance. This was not the Rick Scott show. This was an entire community standing together.

The issue that had fired him and the others to speak so forcefully was the Tampa Sports Authority’s decision to have Kanye West perform two concerts at Raymond James Stadium. Kanye, in 2025, released a song and music video entitled “Heil Hitler.” In 2025 he also publicly stated, “I am a Nazi.” He has threatened that, “when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” These are only some of his Jew hating public remarks. As all the speakers reminded us, speaking out against Jew hatred and Kanye West’s pending performace because of the Tampa Sports Authority (TSA) is not a 1st amendment issue. He has the right to say whatever it is that he wants. However TSA is not required to bring him. It is not a requirement that public dollars be used by TSA to stage his concert and to make him money.

As I listened to Senator Scott talk, I was inspired because I was hearing things that I believe in. He spoke about bipartisanship and how Republicans and Democrats were represented at the event. He stated, “It starts with the Jews but it doesn’t end with the Jews.” He talked about his visit to Kfar Aza in 2019 and then again after October 7th and how that impacted him. He talked about how he brought his own children to Holocaust Museums because he doesn’t want them to ever forget and was open and honest about finding the right age and time to bring his young grandchildren to Holocaust Museums because he doesn’t want them to be part of the Holocaust denier movement. I was moved by the power and passion of his comments. He focused on how Kanye has the 1st amendment right to perform but that we don’t have an obligation to use public dollars to bring somebody who spews hate and openly hates Jews. He actually asked what does it say to Jewish Floridians if we use public dollars to bring somebody who openly said he loves Hitler and is a self proclaimed Nazi? How does that make our Jewish Floridians feel safe?

US Senator Rick Scott

US Senator Ashley Moody spoke next. As somebody who hails from the Tampa Bay region, she was visibly upset about this in her home community. She took the TSA to task, saying their job is clearly stated to ‘evaluate, approve, and prioritize’ the acts they bring. That means that TSA chose to evaluate Kanye West’s Jew hatred and think it was ok, then went ahead and chose to approve his performance, and prioritized it so that it was something that was happening soon. She held them accountable for all three of these responsibilities where they failed.

Senator Moody acknowledged Kanye’s right to perform but also talked about how that doesn’t mean the TSA has to choose to bring him. They could have evaluated, chose not to approve, and not make him a priority, all while not infringing on his free speech rights. She also spoke about the contract and that this would cost TSA money to break it; and that they should because when you make a mistake you must fix your errors.

US Senator Ashley Moody

The next speaker was Leo Terrell, the Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Department of Justice. Mr Terrell is the person in Washington who fights antisemitism every single day. He flew in from DC for the event. I was incredibly impressed by him. He said bluntly that it is “a fundamental obligation to fight antisemitism.” No excuses made. No qualifying or saying that ‘its complicated’. It is a fundamental obligation. Powerful words.

He then directly addressed ‘the Jewish tax’. The Jewish tax is the enormous costs the Jewish community bears to keep our community safe. The cost of security at our synagogues, Federations, JCCs, events, and any Jewish space. You don’t see the same thing at churches or mosques. Only the Jewish community. He spoke powerfully about the obligation to make this Jewish tax no longer needed. Hearing Leo Terrell speak and knowing he is fighting for the Jewish community made me feel hopeful. We have a smart, passionate person in charge who is spending his days fighting on our behalf.

Leo Terrell

Former Governor Charlie Crist spoke next. He started with words we rarely hear from any politician in today’s world. “I am a Democrat but an American first.” It was that type of event – partisan politics were put aside to stand up to hate, specifically Jew hatred and antisemitism. Charlie made sure that everybody heard him when he directly said that “this is not right vs. left. It is right vs. wrong.” When Senator Scott called him on Friday to invite him to participate, he told us that his response was, “I don’t know what I have scheduled but I’ll be there.” He made sure to clear his calendar to be a part of standing up to Jew hatred and antisemitism.

Charlie talked about upholding community standards, standing up against hate. He was also very clear that we should not be using public funds or publicly funded arenas to promote hate speech. It is not ok to use those public funds and publicly funded arenas to platform a self declared Nazi who admits that he idolizes Adolph Hitler.

Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist

Pastor Scott Thomas, representing Christians United For Israel (CUFI) spoke, reminding us that if this was the 1930s, Kanye West would be an opening act for the 3rd Reich. He then said, far more eloquently than I have been saying for a long time, that ‘words started the Holocaust but silence allowed it to grow. There won’t be silence in 2026.”

We heard from Jewish Federation leadership, local politicians, community leaders, my long time friend Eric Stillman, the CEO of the Florida Holocaust Museum, and many others, including a Holocaust survivor. The theme throughout was the words on the podium, “Don’t. Fund. Antisemitism.”

A Holocaust survivor speaking to us

As Senator Scott took the microphone to wrap things up, he continued to be nuanced and clear. He said that ‘buying a ticket to an artist who you appreciate their creativity does not make you an antisemite.” A very important clarification for those who bought tickets and want to see Kanye West perform. However, he also reminded us that we must consider the power that we have at this moment. He closed by instructing us that “The future is not about just what we condemn. It’s also about what we allow.” Senator Scott hit it right on the head. Condemnation isn’t enough. We have see plenty of that with no effect. It truly is what we are willing to allow.

This bipartisan group, composed of local, state, Federal and communal leaders gathered together to speak out against Jew hatred and antisemitism. They aren’t willing to just allow Kanye West to perform in Tampa and send a message that public funds, meaning the government, approve of his hatred. I was honored to be there. I was inspired by the bipartisan approach and the commitment from everybody who spoke to do what they can to stop a Jew hater from being able to use public funds to make millions. In a fractured political environment where Jews don’t know if they can trust either party, here were Florida leaders making a powerful stand. It made me proud to be a Floridian. It validated all the work I have done and continue to do with our elected officials. We can make a difference. Nobody knows what the Tampa Sports Authority is going to do. They may cancel the concerts and pay the fee. They may change nothing and still have Kanye West perform. What I do know is that our leaders took a stand. They stood with the Jewish community against Jew hatred.

Senator Scott started a petition with change.org that demands the Tampa Sports Authority stop using public funds to to fund antisemitism and to cancel the two concerts by Kanye West. If you are motivated, please sign the petition as I have. We cannot aford to be silent. We must speak out. In the words of Pirke Avot (The Ethics of our Fathers), “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it”. Listen to the words of Pirke Avot and begin. Take a stand. Sign the petition. Share it and get others to join in, standing against hate. Silence only allows the hate to grow. We must call it out and take a stand.

There is an old saying that leaders lead. On Monday morning, I got to see a variety of leaders in Florida, Democrats and Republicans, join together to lead the effort to stand up to Jew hatred. I hope that becomes an inspiration to leaders across the country that you can work across the aisle when it comes to fighting hate, to fighting evil. That includes Jew hatred, which seems to be the only hatred that is permitted in today’s world.

How University Leadership Should behave

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I subscribe to the StopAntisemitism website and get weekly updates on what they find. They often have clickable links that allow you to send an email to organizational leadership about what their employees are doing related to Jew hatred and asking for help in reaching out. I almost always take this action

On Sunday, the following message was sent and I reached out the the leadership of Loras College about this coach.

Edward “Eddie” Liger Smith is an assistant wrestling coach at Loras College and co-founder of the Midwestern Marx Institute. He has repeatedly promoted tropes and conspiracy theories that echoe longstanding anti-Jewish narratives. With an online following of roughly 450,000 across X and TikTok, he possesses a massive platform for disseminating these views to a wide audience. As a wrestling coach, he holds significant influence over impressionable young men while simultaneously leveraging a large social media presence to spread his inflammatory rhetoric. This combination creates a dangerous platform with the potential to shape and radicalize vulnerable individuals both on campus and online.

Smith has publicly promoted violence and has glorified Hamas, a U.S. designated terror organization, to his vast audiences. Examples of Smith’s rhetoric include:

  • Calling Hamas terrorists “Palestinian resistance fighters” the day following the massacre on October 7th and saying, “What a courageous and powerful group of people.”
  • Publicly supporting Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
  • Referring to Hamas as “The people defending their children from the Zionist death machine that you support.”

Eddie Smith frequently uses conspiracy-based framing and broad, collective accusations that target Jewish people and promote antisemitic narratives. 

Examples include:

  • Framing “Israeli Zionists” as part of a “ruling elite” and characterizing them as “compatible with murderous anti-human destruction.”
  • Stating “the Iranian Revolution is under attack from Zionist pedophiles.”
  • Sharing “I hope this makes you reflect upon the way that Israel and the Zionist lobby is increasing rates of anti-semitism in the West.”
  • Claiming it is “an objective, historical fact” that “Zionism is a terrorist ideology.”
  • Stating “Anywhere in the world where you see actual Muslim extremist groups, you can almost guarantee that the U.S. and Israel have actually supported or funded them.”
  • Claiming the Israeli government is “literally doing another Holocaust” and saying “but Americans like me need to give Israel 3 billion dollars a year in order to protect the Jews.”

Taken together, these statements go well beyond criticism of Israel and instead promote recurring antisemitic narratives rooted in conspiracy theories and collective blame. Repeatedly portraying Jews or “Zionists” as a powerful force behind society’s problems normalizes prejudice and hostility toward Jewish communities.

Eddie Smith’s role as a wrestling coach at Loras College, combined with his large online following, gives him significant influence over both student-athletes and a broader public audience. While entrusted with mentoring young people, he has repeatedly promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories, used dehumanizing rhetoric, and publicly praised Hamas – conduct that raises serious concerns about his ability to serve in a position of authority and trust.

Given the nature and pattern of this behavior, Loras College must conduct an immediate review and determine whether his continued employment is consistent with the institution’s values and its responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students.

I was surprised to get an almost immediate response from Loras College’s President, Mike Doyle addressing the issue. He was emphatic that Eddie Smith was not an employee or an active coach. He also promised to look into the issue and address it asap. He took the concern very seriously, was not defensive, and wanted to ensure that this hateful man was not connecting any way to Loras College. I was impressed by the response but honestly didn’t expect much of a follow through because most Presidents hope it will fade away.

I hadn’t heard from President Doyle in a few days so I reached out this morning to ask for an update. Once again, I got an almost immediate response, which again surprised me. President Doyle actually did follow up. He did the work to learn about Eddie Smith, who he is, how he is/was connected and began following up with those who reached out to him as well as with his leadership team at Loras College. He told me he spoke directly with Liora Rez, the Executive Director of StopAntisemitism, to share what he learned and she then removed the reference to Loras College. Once again, I was impressed.

He told me the detailed story of what happened. Smith was listed on an old archived site from 2021 and Eddie Smith has not been connected with Loras College or the wrestling team since then, a year after he graduated from Loras. President Doyle shared that he instructed his staff to remove the archived information and to scrub any mention of Eddie Smith from their online presence. I went an checked myself and sure enough, that archived site was entirely removed, not just references to Smith.

President Boyle went a step futher in his effort to address this issue, sharing that he has instructed his Senior Vice President to make sure there are no indirect connections via groups Mr. Smith is part of in Dubuque.  These would be groups that are not affiliated with Loras in any way but could have some tie to Loras in people’s minds. That is how serious Presidnet Boyle takes antisemitism, Jew hatred, and hate in general.

Loras received over 250 emails about the issue and President Doyle and the administration took every one of them seriously. The IT Department went into their quarantine and spam filters to find every email address and compile a list so President Doyle could respond to them as a group (it’s not realistic for a College President to engage with that many people individually). He continues to share more information directly with me, just a regular person who has no connection to Loras College, because it is the right thing to do. To be honest, I’m shocked that he would reply individually for exactly the reason I wrote above – he doesn’t have the time to respond to each and every person who isn’t connected to Loras College. His last note touched my heart. He wrote, “It is simply not acceptable that you/we have to deal with this type of hate or any other type of hate.  Be well and prayers for a peaceful and loving world will continue on our end at Loras and with my family and me.”

President of Loras College, Mike Doyle

Lots of people wrote to him, critical of Loras College. I hope that this story will be shared and at least twice as many will reach out to thank him. In our crazy world where we deal with so much Jew hatred, physical violence against Jews, and justification of it by so many of our ‘leaders’, President Boyle and Loras College stand out as an example of humanity, of courage, and should be recognized for it.

If you want to send him a thank you email, just click here. If that doesn’t work for you, his email is mike.doyle@loras.edu and please put THANK YOU as the subject line since that will stand out in the quarantine or spam filter. Thank you’s go a long way, especially when dealing with something like this. He deserves to be thanked.

Sometimes it is hard to find hope. President Mike Doyle reminds me of how many good and righteous people and leaders there are who are not afraid to stand up against hate. Who are not afraid to do the right thing immediately because that’s what they stand for. Let’s make sure he and Loras college know both how much we appreciate him but also the College for doing what is right when it is not always easy.

Thank you President Mike Boyle!!

An Open Letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

The following open letter was published in the Times of Israel. I share it here as well

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/an-open-letter-to-nba-commissioner-adam-silver/

Dear NBA Commissioner Adam Silver,

In light of Spike Lee’s antisemitic attire at the NBA and the NBA’s failure to follow their own Fan Code of Conduct in this incident, I am writing this open letter to you about the NBA’s failure to follow your own fan code of conduct and choice to be silent in the face of blatant Jew hatred at your 2026 NBA All Star Game.

Your league’s code of fan conduct states, “The National Basketball Association seeks to foster a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable sports and entertainment experience in which:

  • Obscene or indecent messages on signs or clothing will not be permitted.”

There are those who will make the argument that wearing the signs and symbols of Hamas are not obscene or indecent.  Your choice to allow Spike Lee to wear this at the game is a clear indication that you agree with them.  So let’s take a look at some actual examples of what you and the NBA does deem to be obscene or indecent based on your actions.

Last month, your league forced a fan to remove a shirt with a Pro-ICE message on it.

In January 2025, the Toronto Raptors forced a young fan to remove his Steph Curry Golden State Warriors Jersey after inviting him to the floor to participate in a pre-game competition.

Also in January 2025, the Dallas Mavericks removed two fans for wearing “Fire Nico” shirts and holding signs saying the same, in reference to the then General Manager of the team who had just traded star player Luka Doncic.

In 2018, a Philadelphia 76ers fan was stopped from entering the arena because of her attire.  She was wearing fishnet stockings, a leotard and a leather jacket.

In 2021, the Knicks removed a fan for wearing a “Ban Dolan’ shirt (referring to the owner of the team, James Dolan).

Yet wearing clothing and pins that glorify the massacre of 1,200 Israelis, the kidnapping of 252 people and them being held hostage, the rape of women, some repeatedly for more than 400-500 days, the murder of children and the elderly while the league ‘celebrates’ the first Israeli player in their all star game is totally acceptable.  No consequences for Spike Lee.  He wasn’t removed, he wasn’t asked to change his clothes.

Even worse, after the outrage from NBA fans and members of the Jewish community, you and your league continue to remain silent.  No statement issued.  No mea culpa.  No apology to Deni Advija, the Israeli NBA all star.

Even Spike Lee, with his long history of Jew hatred and antisemitism, realized he went too far because of the public outrage.  While his clarification isn’t really an apology or believable, he (or his publicist) knew he couldn’t stay silent.  To think that an NBA superfan, which Mr. Lee is, wouldn’t know Advija is Israeli, especially with the PR about him being the 1st Israeli NBA all-star and knowing that Mr. Lee attended a NY Knicks game against Advija’s Trailblazers is beyond the pale.  Yet he still had to make some statement, no matter how unbelievable it is.

Yet you and the NBA remain silent.  Perhaps you think we will forget.  Perhaps you think the game is so good that people won’t walk away.  I have bad news for you.  I’ve been an NBA fan since 1975.  I have followed the 76ers since that Dr. J, George McGinnis, and Darryl Dawkins team.  I grew up imitating the voice of Sixers PA announcer Dave Zinkoff.  I watched the tape delayed coverage of the 1977 NBA finals against the Trailblazers (yes, the NBA was so popular then that the finals were on tape delay).  I loved shouting out, “Julius Errrrrrrrrrrrving’ and still sing the classic 76ers theme song from the 70s and 80s.  Acquiring Moses Malone and winning the NBA championship is a signature moment in my fandom and Charles Barkley remains one of my all-time favorite athletes.  Allen Iverson was a can’t miss player. I ‘trusted the process’ and the horrible years of tanking.  I had season tickets to the then Washington Bullets when I lived in the DC area just to go to NBA games and now that I live in Orlando, attend Magic games including the playoffs against the hated Celtics last season.

No longer.  The NBA has showed me your true colors.  You have showed me what you really value.  You stand up for every minority except the Jews.  Despite having a Jewish commissioner.  Despite many Jewish owners.  And despite the first Israeli NBA All Star.

I am no longer an NBA fan.  I will no longer go to games, buy merchandise, or watch games on TV.  The NBA is Dead to Me.

There is a chance that perhaps the NBA isn’t dead to me and just on life support.  The ball is in your and the NBA’s court.  Do you stand for freedom or for hatred?  Do you stand for murderers, kidnappers, and racists or do you stand for those who value life?  Do you even care about your own players?

I look forward to your response.  I look forward to seeing the NBA’s response.  I look forward to seeing a response from the NBA Players Association.

Bret Stephens – The State of World Jewry

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

For the past 3 years, the 92nd Street Y has hosted Bari Weiss, Dan Senor, and most recently Bret Stephens, to give their take on the State of World Jewry. Mr. Stephens gave his talk on February 1, 2026, and the reports of what he said were stunning. I wanted to listen to the speech myself before commenting and today, in Dan Senor’s “Call Me Back” podcast, I finally saw a video available.

I have been a fan of Bret Stephens for a long time and have had the pleasure of hearing him speak at events and conferences a number of times. He is thoughtful and direct. He gets to the point in a clear and concise manner. He doesn’t pull punches and is willing to share what’s on his mind regardless of what other may think. While I don’t always agree with what he says or writes, I do find it thought provoking and interesting. That’s more than I can say about most of what the media provides us with today.

I watched the video and was captivated by his words. He so clearly and bluntly said so much of what I have been feeling and working to address. He took on the existing norms of the organized Jewish community with a vengeance, not afraid to speak the truth. He started with one of the hottest topics and most well funded of our current Jewish issues. Antisemitism. When it comes to stopping antisemitism and Jew hatred, Stephens stated:

“We can’t, because for as long as there have been Jews, there have been Jew haters, and for as long as there will be Jews, there will be Jew haters. What’s been going on for over 3,000 years is not about to end anytime soon.”

Jews have been hated for thousands of years. Why do we think that now, we can change this, with marketing and PR? We think we must continue to try. We think that wearing a pin, ads during the superbowl, or using slogans with well liked Jewish foods will change people’s minds. Highlighting the gifts that Jews have brought to our world. Putting names on building are a solution to Jew hatred. The reality is that none of that works We continue to look to solve the outside instead of addressing the inside. Our Jewish communities are broken. The lack of Jewish knowledge is incredible. The quality of much of our Jewish education is low. Far too few children go to a Jewish school, be it a day-school or religious school. We don’t teach our children the facts they need to know. They don’t learn Jewish history, they learn bible stories without context. I often mock the religious school education that I received up to my Bar Mitzvah because it lacked any depth. It was ceremonial. It was performative. What we need, as Stephens’ points out, is not to attempt to change the minds of those who hate us with our good works but instead,

“It is to lean into our Jewishness as far as each of us can, irrespective of what anyone else thinks of it. If the price of being our fullest selves as Jews is to be the perennially unpopular kids, it’s a price well worth paying,”

Jews have survived and thrived for thousands of years, not by trying to make other people like us, but by undestanding who we are, what we value, what we believe, and then living that way. Ask most Jews what that is today and you are likely to get answers like, “We believe in one God” or “Keeping kosher, which I don’t” or “We don’t believe Jesus is the messiah”. Or you’ll get the most overused and misunderstood part of Judaism, “It is about Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.” While all these things are true, it’s not the essence of Judaism. Listen to Stephens as he not only says that Judaism is counter-culture but then explains exactly what it is and how it is counter culture. And how this counter-cultural nature of Judaism ensures we are hated as we challenge the status quo.

Perhaps the right way to fight antisemitism is to make sure we are educated about what being a Jew means. Perhaps it’s ensuring those involved with Jew hatred are held accountable for their actions rather than trying to enlighten them. Perhaps it is about being publicly Jewish, proud of our Jewish identity, and not bowing to fear. Stephens states powerfully,

The goal of Jewish life is not to ingratiate ourselves with others so that they might dislike us somewhat less. The goal of Jewish life is Jewish thriving.

And by Jewish thriving, I don’t mean thriving Jews individually speaking. I mean a community in which Jewish learning, Jewish culture, Jewish ritual, Jewish concerns, Jewish aspiration, and Jewish identification, exactly what goes on in these rooms every day of the week, nearly every day of the week, are central to every member’s sense of him or herself. How we choose to invest in our Jewishness, whether more religiously or more culturally or more politically or whatever, is up to each of us to decide.

It’s time for a massive shift in our efforts. It’s time for visionary leaders and philanthropists to reject the status quo. To admit the failure of the last 75 years. To remember that it is not about educating the Jew haters but educating the Jews. To stop trying to be loved or at least liked. To stop trying to have the Jew haters see us as equals. To stop thinking that if we only could educate the uneducated, things would be different. Stephens reminds us,

“From Martin Luther to T.S. Eliot to Sally Rooney, the world has never suffered a shortage of educated antisemites. Jew hatred is the product of a psychological reflex, and that kind of reflex can never be educated out of existence, even if for a time it may be sublimated or shamed into quiescence. Antisemitism, in other words, isn’t a prejudice or just a prejudice and a belief.  It’s a neurosis.”

We aren’t going to change those who hate us. There is a reason that organizations like the KKK still exist today. Hate i spowerful and not rational. Hate doesn’t go away because we prove ourselves worthy. It’s buried deep int he hearts of those who hate. It’s up to them to change themselves, not for us to change them. We are so focused on showing we don’t deserve to be hated and trying to encourage them to love us that we don’t even know who we are or what we stand for. If the Jewish people were to be in therapy, we would be told focus on ourselves, not other people. We would be guided to find the solutions within ourselves. Stephens serves that role for us all, stating,

“It should go without saying that there’s nothing Jews can do to cure the Jew haters of their hate. They can hire their own psychiatrists and there is nothing that we should want to do either.”

Bret Stephens gave us a master class in how to deal with today’s world as a Jew. What to focus on and what to ignore. What matters and what doesn’t. What we can control and what we can’t. His ‘State of World Jewry” speech was powerful. Blunt. Direct. Clear. Thought provoking. So much that I agreed with. So much of what I believe. Inspiring. A must watch for anybody who cares about the Jewish people. We could have discussion groups about so many of the topics he brings up. I hope the formal leaders of the Jewish organizations, both national and local, choose to use this as a teaching guide. A manual for conversations about where we are, where we want to be, and creating a pathway to get there. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen. Unfortunately, I think those who most need to hear what he has to say and use it as a starting point, will choose to do nothing. I urge you to at least watch and listen to his speech below and then do something with it. If you want a transcript of it, send me a note and I’ll share it with you. Share it with your friends and discuss the points he makes. Dig deep into what being Jewish means. Bret Stephens is who coined the phrase, “October 8th Jew’ and he uses this speech to even better define that term.

I said at the time that the October 8th Jew was the Jew who, quote, woke up to discover who our friends are not. What I should have said was that the October 8th Jew was the one who woke up trying to remember who he or she truly is.

If October 7th brought up questions about who you are, what it means to be a Jew, and a lack of understanding the world we live in now, watch and listen to Bret Stephens’ speech and then, go learn. Find yourself a teacher and a group of people who want to ask questions and learn together. It will help you understand why, in the words of Bret Stephens, we will,

“Endure the honor of being hated as we continue to work towards a thriving Jewish future.”

Bret Stephens’ State of World Jewry talk at the 92nd Street Y on February 1, 2026 (with Dan Senor before and after). Please watch, listen, and learn.

Hope

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

As we come to the end of 2025, I have found myself spending a lot of time in contemplation about the year we are finishing. It’s been a very difficult year. The rise of Jew hatred around the world is overwhelming. The violence against Jews is frightening. The continued lies of Israeli genocide boil my blood. I watch as the extremes on the left and the right in the United States continue to blame Israel and the Jews for everything. There are too many on both sides to begin naming them, as I’m sure I would forget somebody.

The job market is tough. The number of friends that I have who are looking for work and getting discouraged is yet another frightening reality. Talented, qualified professionals. I speak to at least one of them almost every day, being a friend, being supportive, and helping any way that I can. One of them asked me today, “Was I bothering you asking about a job?” That upset me more than I expected it would, as I asked myself, “why would it bother me to help a friend?”. The I realized that for them, it must feel like an imposition. For them, it’s a critical need. For them, they don’t want to be a bother but also want and need all the help they can get. I replied, “No. It’s rough out there so helping when I can is meaningful.”

Years ago, I stopped making New Year’s resolutions. The last New Year’s resolution I ever made is the one that I have been able to keep the longest. It was to stop making New Year’s resolutions. I felt it was time to focus on action, not wishes. Change, not empty promises. As we approach 2026, I found myself getting depressed as things seem to be sinking deeper and deeper with no way out. No light ahead, just different paths of darkness. Change seems so unlikely to happen and there are so many roadblocks to it.

And then, as I was looking through LinkedIn today, I saw something that made me stop and pause. It was from an organization who stated that their mission was “helping to build the spiritual foundation of a loving world.” It grabbed my attention and made me look at them even more. In their vision, they state that, “We believe that social transformation must fundamentally include spiritual ways of understanding the world in addition to scientific ways of knowing. Our goal is to prove that viewing the world as inherently sacred…” It felt like jolt as I read it. What would our world look like if our leaders viewed the world as inherently sacred? We live in a time where building a spiritual foundation and desiring a loving world seems impossible. Yet if we can find a way to understand both the spiritual and the scientific, perhaps we can then view the world as inherently sacred and begin to act that way. In their FAQ section, when answering what spiritual solutions are, they write, “we believe that many of the challenges facing our world — division, disconnect, injustice — are not only political or economic, but deeply spiritual. Spiritual solutions begin by shifting how we see: from separation to connection, from fear to love, from transactional to relational, from tactical to transformational.” I began thinking of what our world might look like if we focused on spiritual solutions and began to live as connected, loving, relational and transformational people.

Figuring out where to take that awareness left me struggling a bit. As I walked my dog, listening to country music, talking to her as we walked, I realized that I needed inspiration. I needed to find something that could restore my hope, that would inspire me to continue fighting for what I believe in – a better, kinder, and more just world. I also realized I can’t do it alone. After getting home from our walk, I went to one thing that has always inspired me. I returned to watching The West Wing. It is one of my favorite all time television shows. It makes me think. It brings up important topics. It has deeply flawed characters that all want the common good. It shows struggles, decisions by the characters in the show that they regret, honor, and are passionate about. It shows patriotism, caring for others, civilized debate and discussion, and has characters that truly lead. I don’t always agree with the characters but I respect them. The last time I began watching it, I had stopped at the end of season 3, so I began watching again at the start of season 4.

There was so much that applies to today. An election that matters. Conflict in the Middle East with Israel being wrongly cast as a villian. Not enough teachers in the schools. The high cost of college and the challenges of affordable college education. Credit card debt. High college loans. A government out of touch with what is happening on the ground to regular people. A divided country. A need to come together with a challenge of how to do it and who will lead it. Rising antisemitism.

Yes, in late 2002 The West Wing was addressing the rise of antisemistism. If only we’d listen. This dialogue between Josh and Toby was brilliant and could be something we hear amongs Jews today.

Josh: “You have an inadvertent habit of putting down my Judaism by implying that you have a sharper anti-Semitism meter than I do.”

Toby: “You know the ancient Hebrews had a word for Jews from Westport; they pronounced it ‘Presbyterian.’”

As I watched show after show, my downcast spirit began to rise. How could a show about fictional leaders from 23 years ago improve my outlook from this dismal time? It reminded me that there is a better option. There are people who care more about the country than power, influence and money. For every Senator Bernie Sanders who stops children with cancer from having a chance at lifesaving treatment because he didn’t get everything he wanted in the deal, there is a Senator Howard Stackhouse on the West Wing who only runs for President only to make sure the imporant issues are discussed. For every Representative Thomas Massie or Marjorie Taylor Green, there is an Ainsley Hayes from the West Wing who puts country and the people before party.

As I listened to President Bartlett give his speech during the Red Mass service, after terrorists killed 44 people on a college campus, I thought about October 7, 2023 and what happened in Israel. I thought about what leadership could have looked like at that moment. The message that could have been sent by American leaders and leaders around the world and the message that was actually sent. The civilians and people in reserves who ran into the fight with Hamas terrorists. Imagine if world leaders had said something like what President Bartlett said, “The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They’re our students and our teachers and our parents and our friends. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we’re reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. this is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars.”

The West Wing is a reminder of what leadership CAN be. It’s a reminder that we bear responsibilty to elect the leaders that will inspire us, that will work for the betterment of all, that won’t be stuck on ego, power, and money. That’s on us. We, the people, have allowed our Congress not to work for decades. We, the people, have continued to nominate and elect those in power. It’s time we stop trying to blame others and take personal responsibility.

In the beginning of season 4 of the West Wing, Toby and Josh meet a man bringing his daughter to visit colleges. She is excited. He is excited. Yet he left her in the hotel room to go to the hotel bar because he’s worried about how he will be able to pay for it. The interaction had a profound impact on Toby and Josh. When back in Washington, they work to find a solution. Their excitement as they think they have found a way is infectious. They convince others that this is something they can accomplish. That it’s not just something we should do but find a way to fund it. When President Bartlett gives his speech about education after the shooting on campus, he starts with a line from scripture. “Joy cometh in the morning.” It’s an exceptional speech that reminds us how we find the spiritual solutions to economic and social problems. The West Wing, 23 years ago, was teaching us the lesson we need to learn today. There are things we can’t do anything about and we can’t worry about them. There are things we can do something about and it is our obligation to take action and do something. To make a difference. To change the world.

Taking the inspiration from the West Wing and the different way to look at things through a spiritual solution focus highlighted by this organization, they outline a few important things as to how effective spiritual solutions often follow a simple but powerful pattern. Their model is:

  1. Diagnose the Problem Differently: Instead of only seeking and exploring what’s broken, we ask “What’s sacred?” This reframes the issue from one of scarcity and division to connection and potential.
  2. Center the Sacred: Whether through relationship-building, contemplative practices, ritual, or cultivating shared meaning, spiritual solutions reconnect people to what matters most — Spirit and the full community of life.
  3. Shift the Culture: When hearts and imaginations are engaged, systems can begin to evolve. Policy, practice, and even data become tools for deeper, more compassionate outcomes.
  4. Nurture Ongoing Transformation: Spiritual solutions are not one-time interventions. They are ongoing commitments that require sustained reflection, humility, courage, and love over time.

It’s time we stop hating the political party that isn’t ours. It’s time we stop hating those on the opposite political spectrum. It’s time to focus on love and communication, on kindness and faith. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do the work required together with those who have different opinions.

As we move into 2026, my goal is to use their model, continue my Jewish learning to understand more of how Judaism encourages us to look at the world, and further build relationships so that I can do my part. I did my part today, following the lead of Hillel Fuld who ‘meets with the CEO’ every morning. I made sure to start today by meeting with the CEO just like Hillel does.

Little things matter. Having a spiritual connection matters. Building relationships with others matter. If we want to live in a world filled with hope, have leaders who work towards building a better world, and care about others, there is a path.

The West Wing reminded me of that path. We don’t all have to be Jed Bartlett. We can be Toby or Josh. We can be Sam, CJ or Donna. There are many different roles that bring us hope and watching The West Wing brought me back to hope. Hope alone is just the beginning. Now it requires action. 2026 is going to be an action packed year for me. How about you?

Bondi Beach: The end of these glory days

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I have been writing and talking about the rise of antisemitism and Jew hatred for over a decade. In July of 2016, I co-authoried this article in the Seattle Times calling for people to stand up and speak out against antisemitism. I’ve endured ridicule from those on the far left in the Jewish community and people telling me that this is America and we are safe here.

October 7th and the more than two years following that has changed some of that ridicule as more in the Jewish community are seeing the blatent Jew hatred around the world and in America. Yet, as we as Jews have done for centuries, we continue to see ourselves as members of the society we live in first and Jews second while the rest of the world sees us as Jews first, second, and third. Whether it’s Jews like Peter Beinert and Bernie Sanders or leaders like Zohran Mamdani, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or talking heads like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Joe Rogan, and Nick Fuentes, we are being battered on all sides.

On Sunday, on Bondi Beach in Australia, we reached a breaking point. Two gunman attacked a Hanukkah celebration, murdering at least 15 and wounding at least 40. The death and injury count would have been even higher if not for the bravery of one man, Ahmad Al-Ahmad, a 43-year-old Muslim man, husband and father of two, who risked his life to save others, wrestling the weapon from one of the terrorists. The video is incredible and we can watch a true hero in action.

We’ve seen things like this before. Unfortunately they are too many to even list. There was a school shooting at Brown University earlier that day. Hatred and murder go hand in hand. As a world, we have emboldened hatred of ‘the other’ and this is the result. It happens time and time again. We have seen in the LGBTQ+ community, the African American community, the Muslim community, the Sikh community, with violence against women, and any other group that somebody deems as being ‘different’ or ‘the other.’ That isn’t the breaking point I refer to.

The breaking point I refer to is all the people who chanted, agreed with, failed to condemn, defended slogans like ‘Globalize the intifada’, condemning the attacks they they helped ensure would happen. It’s the leaders of countries who, by their actions and inactions, created the environents that make this type of violence and murder a reality, now condenming it. Public Jew haters like Rashida Tlaib, posting she is ‘heartbroken’ by the very thing that she advocates for on a daily basis. Brianna Wu’s comment is what we all should be feeling.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks out after the shooting while failing to take responsiblity for his inaction despite warnings that Jewish gatherings were going to be attacked. He and the Australian government actively took steps prior to the shooting to encourage Jew hatred, to fuel antisemitism, and to make Australia not safe for Jews. The day before the murderous attack at Bondi Beach, this article was published, highlighting the rise in “unprecedented anti-Jewish violence” while the government does nothing. Nothing but try to play the victim and shirk responsibilitiy after their actions and failure to act resulted in mass murder of Jews.

Comedian Michael Rappaport’s comment on Mayor Elect Mamdani’s post states exactly what I am talking about. Set the stage for violence against Jews and then when it happens, call for peace.

I’m beyond disgusted by these people who actively hate Jews, who do what they can to ensure the death of Jews, and then pretend after it happens that they are sad. I go back to the famous Maya Angelou quote. I’m tired of the two faced liars who want me dead and want me to help them murder me.

Last night was the big, public Hanukkah celebration in my town. I had been excited to go. I was excited to celebrate being Jewish publicly. The past few days, I have been feeling worn out from all my travel the past 10 weeks. North Carolina, Israel, Baltimore, Ft Myers, Tampa, DC, Seattle, Israel, Boca, and Gainesville. It has been an exhausting schedule. Yet after the Jewish massacre on Bondi Beach, after the Jew haters pretending to be sad that what they have advocated for, globalizing the intifada, policies that make Jews unsafe, I was physically ill. I simply couldn’t do it. As my grandparents used to say, ‘it just wasn’t in my kishkes” (translated from Yiddish it means “I don’t have the guts/stomach for it.”) It made me sad. But I also knew that I needed to protect myself. I stayed home, we lit the Hanukkah candles as a family, sang the blessings, and brought in Hanukkah together.

I put on my special Hanukkah pajamas – well over the top in outrageousness – but I didn’t care. The shooters on Bondi Beach, the politicians, talking heads, and even the Jews who take positions that make me not safe will not crush my Jewish soul. They won’t stop me from being Jewish, from celebrating being Jewish, and from doing my part to ensure that we continue, L’Dor V’Dor, from one generation to another as Jews.

I’ll be wearing my absurd pajamas every night during Hanukkah. I’m wearing my ridiculous Hanukkah long sleeve t-shirt today and have my absurd Hanukkah sweater to wear when I go outside. Hanukkah is about lighting the darkness. It’s about remembering that miracles do happen so embrace the darkness because we have the power to make it light. So enjoy my ridiculous picture in my ridiculous sweate and may it bring just a little more light into your life.

They no longer even try to hide their Jew hatred

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

It is official. AP has gone into business with Hezbollah and the terrorists. They have quietly defended the terrorists through inaccurate reporting and lies but no longer feel the need to do it under any pretense. They just released what used to be considered an unpublishable and unforgiveable article about how life has been difficult for terrorists who were targeted in a strategic and surgical attack to eliminate them or at least stop them from being able to be active terrorists. To AP, they are now tragic figures who’s only crime was that they wanted to murder, rape, decapitate, and ensure the genocide of the Jews. And honestly, they are only Jews so to AP, they don’t really count. After all, what is thousands of dead Jews compared to a terrorist who can’t be a terrorist to kill more Jews with his buddies or one who can’t play football any longer.  

Here was this incredible report by the Associated Press. The didn’t even try to hide their support of the terrorists.

So AP wants us to have sympathy for people like the terrorist Mahdi Sheri, who can’t play football and can’t fight for Hezbollah anymore, but writes nothing about what should have been Ariel Bibas (z’l) 6th birthday on August 6th. Somebody dedicated to murder, rape, torture, kidnapping, and real genocide gets a sympatheic piece while the brutal kidnapping and murder of a 4 year old child is ignored. Pathetic. Horrific. The American media no longer needs to hide its antisemitism and Jew hatred.

In the article, it cites that Human rights and United Nations reports say the attack may have violated international law, calling it indiscriminate. Using the pagers assigned by a terrorists group to their terrorist members to stop the terrorists is called ‘indiscriminate’. You couldn’t make this type of stuff up. It’s time to close the UN, no longer anything close to what it was designed to be. If we, as a country, want to really believe in our ideals of humanity, we have no place for the Jew hating UN.

Then there is Mahmoud Khalil, a terrorist who led the Columbia antisemistism and Jew hatred efforts. Amazingly he says publicly that October 7th was necessary because Israel was making peace with other Arab countries and the Palestinians were being ‘left behind’. If being left behind means their rejection of every peace offer since 1948, then yes, they were left behind. Accepting a deal that acknowledges the right of Israel to exist that would create a Palestinian state isn’t acceptable so instead, their decision is to murder, rape, kidnap, and decapitate as many Jews as they possibly can. Khalil all but says that publicly and yet the world stays silent. It’s beyond obscene.

Then there is Linda Sarsour, one of the most vile antisemites around. She completely ignores the oppression of Hamas, completely ignores the freedoms of muslims who are Israeli citizens, and instead, chooses to to advocate that all Muslims must hate all Jews. According to her, the official position of the entire muslim community needs to be Jew hatred. Once again, the world stays silent. Their silence is their tacit approval of what she advocates. It’s their way to encourage Jew hatred without having to directly say it.

It’s hard to find things that go beyond those, however in today’s world, that is not only possible but probably. Amazingly, an Austrian heiress to the industrial dynasty whose company manufactured Zyklon B—the chemical used to gas Jews during the Holocaust—is set to sail on a “Freedom Flotilla” to Gaza. Her family wasn’t able to eliminate all the Jews so she is going to do her part in carrying on the family tradition of demonizing and attempting to murder the Jews. The world sees no irony. The world sees nothing wrong with this.

The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) came out with an incredible report that explains the food shortages in Gaza. They found that between May 19 and August 5, 2025, 88% of aid trucks collected by the UN in Gaza did not reach their intended destinations. This means that of the 2,604 trucks with food and humanitarian aid that entered Gaza, 2,309 of them were intercepted and didn’t reach the people of Gaza. In some months, the percentage of stolen aid was even higher, reaching 94% in July 2025. The report is even more damning of the UN and Hamas. Data shows that 85% of aid pallets sent to Gaza did not reach their intended recipients, with 28,000 out of 33,000 pallets looted. The more food and aid given to the UN to distribute, the more food and aid ends up with Hamas for them to feed their terrorist agenda and for them to sell on the black market to fund their terror operations.

Yet it is Israel that is blamed. Hamas is absolved of any responsibility. The UN, charged with delivering the food and aid to the people are given a free pass from their role in the lack of food for the people of Gaza. Israel, who sent the food in, who turned it over to the UN, is the who the world blames for the lack of food. It’s beyond absurd.

What makes it even worse? The Jews who side with the UN and Hamas. The Jews who use terms like genocide and war crimes when talking about Israel. The Jews who will be shocked when the Jew haters come for them because they were on the side of Hamas. This image and post on X (Twitter) puts it best, using Bernie Sanders, the ultimate Jewish Jew hater (Peter Beinart is a very close second) as the example.

If Jew haters like Bernie Sanders really cared about starving children in Gaza they would hold Hamas and the UN accountable for allowing the food and aid to be stolen and looted and not given to the people. They would hold Egypt accountable for not allowing ANY aid through their border and for not allowing the civilians (i.e. not Hamas) of Gaza to move into the Sinai where they could be safe, have plenty of food, water, medicine, and a life while Israel eliminates Hamas. The reality is they don’t care about anything other than hating Jews.

No longer can we allow this blatent Jew hatred to go unchallenged. No longer can we excuse it, especially when it comes from other Jews. It’s bad enough when the rest of the world hates us but when we decide to hate ourselves, thinking the world will love us because we helped rid the world of Jews, we are delusional. At times like this, we need to listen to Winston Churchill.

Don’t be an appeaser. Don’t allow those you know to be appeasers. When you do, in the end, we all get eaten.